MOSCOW, May 1. /TASS/. President Petro Poroshenko saying that the war in Ukraine will end when Kiev regains Donbas and Crimea only leads to escalation of the conflict, the official envoy of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic to the Contact Group, Denis Pushilin, said on Friday.
"Such statements of Poroshenko are aimed at escalating the conflict in Donbas. This once again confirms the fact that Kiev is not ready to implement all the conditions of the Minsk agreements," Pushilin was quoted by the Donetsk news agency as saying.
The Donetsk republic’s negotiator said the words of the official Kiev reflect the similar stance of its "overseas sponsors" who are not interested in the peaceful settlement in the war-torn region.
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"This once again says that the overseas sponsors of Kiev are preparing for a new war and are not planning to act in line with the Minsk-2 [February 12 package of measures on the implementation of the Minsk agreements]," he said in comments to the news.
"We hope that these Kiev’s actions will not hamper the launch of subgroups of the Contact Group as the restoration of peace depends on their efficient work," Pushilin stressed.
"We are ready for any turn of events, but we will do the utmost to solve the situation at the negotiating table," he said.
Earlier on Friday, the Donetsk republic’s military spokesman said Kiev forces increased activity following an interview of President Petro Poroshenko with the Ukrainian STB TV channel on Thursday.